Australia set to retain the Ashes
6 tickets are required for the Aussies as they surge their way into reclaiming the Ashes after what has been a long two years.
Resuming day 3 in a dominant position at 4/549, Australia's day didn't get off to the best start, to say the least. Mitchell Marsh after a glorious 181 on the third day was dismissed the second ball of the first session on day 4. But there was not much of an Australian fightback as a fired up and somewhat purposeful England attack sparked a mini-collapse to have the hosts lose 3/12 in the opening session.
However, some brilliant piece of batting from Tim Paine and Pat Cummins saw the hosts bombard their way to a 259 run lead before a declaration sent the English into battle another storm. Pat Cummins, much like Steve Smith, has gone from strength to strength this series. Whilst the wickets column may not speak for the pressure that he has put on the opposition but the quality of bowling that he has produced has been phenomenal. Furthermore, the runs that he has scored in almost every test match down the order has not only demonstrated his potential of being a genuine allrounder but the headspace that he is in as a cricketer. Moving onto Tim Paine, who I feel has deviated from the pressure so far in this test match. Which in most cases is due to the good cricket that he has been playing that has left him out of the spotlight.
England after what had been a bad day at the office on day 3 are paying the price. With a deficit of 127 runs and only 6 wickets remaining along with a very vulnerable lower order, I do not see too many positive signs for the tourists. Whilst I do not believe that there was a shortage of hard work in the England bowlers, but they lacked intent from ball one. The positive mindset was not visible in the field and the fielding placements were too defensive. England looked as if they were only trying to stop the run flow and not take wickets and this is coming back to haunt them badly.
Australia finished their mammoth first innings score of 9D/662 before England's day went from bad to worse. A brilliant spell from Josh Hazelwood had the likes of first innings star Mark Stoneman out in the second over to leave England at 1/4. Moreover, Alistair Cook's 150th test match has not shown any signs of improvement as he again was dismissed for a cheap score. Furthermore, Australia's dominance with the bat simply reflected that off with the ball. However, England was starting to show some classy fightback from a sublime looking James Vince who notched up a brilliantly made 55 before receiving the "ball of the series" by Mitchell Starc.
England finishes a rain-affected day at 4/132 with first innings heroes Dawid Malan and Johnny Bairstow still at the crease. There is no doubt that this game can only go two ways and that is either an Australian victory or a nail-biting draw. I do not see enough time for England to force a win on their side, but for their sake, they will be happy with a draw. Australia's only concern is the weather and the potential for most of the day being affected by the rain.
But if Australia can have a session's worth of play and be able to take a couple of early wickets, I can easily see them going on to win this game and have their hands on the urn.
Can Australia take some early scalps and knock over a vulnerable tail? Or can England hold out until the weather to force a draw? Let's hope for an exciting day's worth of cricket on day 5.
However, some brilliant piece of batting from Tim Paine and Pat Cummins saw the hosts bombard their way to a 259 run lead before a declaration sent the English into battle another storm. Pat Cummins, much like Steve Smith, has gone from strength to strength this series. Whilst the wickets column may not speak for the pressure that he has put on the opposition but the quality of bowling that he has produced has been phenomenal. Furthermore, the runs that he has scored in almost every test match down the order has not only demonstrated his potential of being a genuine allrounder but the headspace that he is in as a cricketer. Moving onto Tim Paine, who I feel has deviated from the pressure so far in this test match. Which in most cases is due to the good cricket that he has been playing that has left him out of the spotlight.
England after what had been a bad day at the office on day 3 are paying the price. With a deficit of 127 runs and only 6 wickets remaining along with a very vulnerable lower order, I do not see too many positive signs for the tourists. Whilst I do not believe that there was a shortage of hard work in the England bowlers, but they lacked intent from ball one. The positive mindset was not visible in the field and the fielding placements were too defensive. England looked as if they were only trying to stop the run flow and not take wickets and this is coming back to haunt them badly.
Australia finished their mammoth first innings score of 9D/662 before England's day went from bad to worse. A brilliant spell from Josh Hazelwood had the likes of first innings star Mark Stoneman out in the second over to leave England at 1/4. Moreover, Alistair Cook's 150th test match has not shown any signs of improvement as he again was dismissed for a cheap score. Furthermore, Australia's dominance with the bat simply reflected that off with the ball. However, England was starting to show some classy fightback from a sublime looking James Vince who notched up a brilliantly made 55 before receiving the "ball of the series" by Mitchell Starc.
England finishes a rain-affected day at 4/132 with first innings heroes Dawid Malan and Johnny Bairstow still at the crease. There is no doubt that this game can only go two ways and that is either an Australian victory or a nail-biting draw. I do not see enough time for England to force a win on their side, but for their sake, they will be happy with a draw. Australia's only concern is the weather and the potential for most of the day being affected by the rain.
But if Australia can have a session's worth of play and be able to take a couple of early wickets, I can easily see them going on to win this game and have their hands on the urn.
Can Australia take some early scalps and knock over a vulnerable tail? Or can England hold out until the weather to force a draw? Let's hope for an exciting day's worth of cricket on day 5.
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